CSS Selectors
In CSS, selectors are like filters that you apply to HTML elements to specify which ones you want to style. They allow you to target specific elements or groups of elements based on their attributes, classes, IDs, or relationship with other elements.
| Selector | Example | Example description |
|---|---|---|
| Pseudo-classes | ||
:active |
a:active | Selects the active link |
:checked |
input:checked | Selects every checked <input> element |
:default |
input:default | Selects the default <input> element |
:disabled |
input:disabled | Selects every disabled <input> element |
:empty |
p:empty | Selects every <p> element that has no children (including text nodes) |
:enabled |
input:enabled | Selects every enabled <input> element |
:first-child |
p:first-child | Selects every <p> element that is the first child of its parent |
:first-of-type |
p:first-of-type | Selects every <p> element that is the first <p> element of its parent |
:focus |
input:focus | Selects the input element which has focus |
:fullscreen |
:fullscreen | Selects the element that is in full-screen mode |
:hover |
a:hover | Selects links on mouse over |
:in-range |
input:in-range | Selects input elements with a value within a specified range |
:indeterminate |
input:indeterminate | Selects input elements that are in an indeterminate state |
:invalid |
input:invalid | Selects all input elements with an invalid value |
:lang(language) |
p:lang(it) | Selects every <p> element with a lang attribute equal to “it” (Italian) |
:last-child |
p:last-child | Selects every <p> element that is the last child of its parent |
:last-of-type |
p:last-of-type | Selects every <p> element that is the last <p> element of its parent |
:link |
a:link | Selects all unvisited links |
:not(selector) |
:not(p) | Selects every element that is not a <p> element |
:nth-child(n) |
p:nth-child(2) | Selects every <p> element that is the second child of its parent |
:nth-last-child(n) |
p:nth-last-child(2) | Selects every <p> element that is the second child of its parent, counting from the last child |
:nth-last-of-type(n) |
p:nth-last-of-type(2) | Selects every <p> element that is the second <p> element of its parent, counting from the last child |
:nth-of-type(n) |
p:nth-of-type(2) | Selects every <p> element that is the second <p> element of its parent |
:only-child |
p:only-child | Selects every <p> element that is the only child of its parent |
:only-of-type |
p:only-of-type | Selects every <p> element that is the only <p> element of its parent |
:optional |
input:optional | Selects input elements with no “required” attribute |
:out-of-range |
input:out-of-range | Selects input elements with a value outside a specified range |
:read-only |
input:read-only | Selects input elements with the “readonly” attribute specified |
:read-write |
input:read-write | Selects input elements with the “readonly” attribute NOT specified |
:required |
input:required | Selects input elements with the “required” attribute specified |
:root |
:root | Selects the document’s root element |
:target |
#news:target | Selects the current active #news element (clicked on a URL containing that anchor name) |
:valid |
input:valid | Selects all input elements with a valid value |
:visited |
a:visited | Selects all visited links |
| Classes and IDs | ||
.class |
.intro | Selects all elements with class=“intro” |
.class1.class2 |
.name1.name2 | Selects all elements with both name1 and name2 set within its class attribute |
.class1 .class2 |
.name1 .name2 | Selects all elements with name2 that is a descendant of an element with name1 |
#id |
#firstname | Selects the element with id=“firstname” |
| Attribute Selectors | ||
[attribute] |
[target] | Selects all elements with a target attribute |
[attribute=value] |
[target="_blank"] | Selects all elements with target="_blank" |
[attribute~=value] |
[title~=“flower”] | Selects all elements with a title attribute containing the word “flower” |
[attribute|=value] |
[lang|=“en”] | Selects all elements with a lang attribute value equal to “en” or starting with “en-” |
[attribute^=value] |
a[href^=“https”] | Selects every <a> element whose href attribute value begins with “https” |
[attribute$=value] |
a[href$=".pdf"] | Selects every <a> element whose href attribute value ends with “.pdf” |
| Other Selectors | ||
* |
——————► | Selects all elements |
| Descendant Selectors | ||
p |
——————► | Selects all <p> elements |
a[href^="https"] |
——————► | Selects every <a> element whose href attribute value begins with “https” |
a[href$=".pdf"] |
——————► | Selects every <a> element whose href attribute value ends with “.pdf” |